How to Install wget on Debian 12?
Wget is a (command-line) utility that can download any type of file from the internet. It supports several protocols, such as FTP, HTTPS, and HTTP. Wget can also resume interrupted downloads, making it useful for downloading large files or updating packages. It can also follow links, resume interrupted downloads, and mirror websites. By default, the wget utility is pre-installed on Debian distributions such as Debian 12.
This guide will explain different methods to install wget on Debian 12. Users can pick the one that suits/matches their preferences. Let’s see the supported content of the article.
Let’s start with the installation.
How to Install wget on Debian 12?
If users find, a “Bash: wget command not found” error, install the “wget” utility by following the below methods:
- Method 1: Using Official Debian Repositories
- Method 2: Using the Source Code
- Method 3: from the .deb Package
Let’s begin with the easy one.
Method 1: Install wget on Debian 12 from the Official Debian Repositories
The easiest and most recommended way to install wget on Debian 12 is to use the apt package manager. It ensures users get the latest stable version of wget that is compatible with your system. To install wget from the official Debian repositories, follow these steps:
Step 1: Update Packages Index
To install wget on Debian 12, you need to have sudo privileges or be logged in as the root user. You can use the following command to update the package index:
sudo apt update
Step 2: Install wget
To install wget on Debian 12, use the “wget” utility with the “apt” command as below:
sudo apt install wget
It automatically installs Wget and any required dependencies.
Step 3: Verify wget Installation
Users can verify that wget is installed by checking its version as below:
wget --version
Remove/Uninstall wget
To remove/uninstall wget from Debian 12, use the “autoremove” utility by mentioning the “wget” as below:
sudo apt autoremove wget
That is all the installation of wget from the default repository.
Method 2: Install wget on Debian 12 from the Source Code
To install wget from the source code, users need to have some prerequisites installed on your Debian 12 system. Let’s follow the below steps for the complete installation:
Step 1: Install Dependencies
These include gcc, make, libssl-dev, and zlib1g-dev. You can install them with the following command:
sudo apt update sudo apt install gcc make libssl-dev zlib1g-dev
Step 2: Download wget Source Code
Next, download the source code of wget from its official website. It downloads the latest stable release.
Step 3: Extract to a Directory
After downloading the source code, navigate to the “Downloads” directory. After that, users need to extract it to the same directory with the “tar” command:
cd Downloads tar -xvf wget-1.21.4.tar.gz
Step 4: Configure Makefile
Now, move to the extracted directory and configure the make file using the “./configure” command. This script checks the system for the required libraries and tools, and generates a Makefile for compiling wget:
cd wget-1.21.4 ./configure
Note: If users find any error, execute the “sudo apt install libgnutls28-dev” command or use the “./configure –prefix=/usr” command.
Step 5: Compile the Source Code
Now, it’s time for the compilation of source code via the below command:
make
Step 6: Install wget
Finally, install the wget using the “make install” command below:
sudo make install
Verification
After the installation, users can verify the wget is installed correctly via the “version” utility as below:
wget --version
That is all from this section.
Method 3: Install wget on Debian 12 from the .deb Package
The .deb package is a binary file that contains the wget program and its dependencies. To install wget from the .deb package, follow these steps:
Step 1: Download wget
Users can download wget from the official Debian repository or a mirror site.
Step 2: Navigate to Downloaded Directory
Then, open a Debian terminal and move to the folder/directory where users downloaded the .deb package:
cd Downloads ls
Step 3: Install wget
Run the following command to install wget and its dependencies by specifying the package name “wget_1.21.3-1”:
sudo dpkg -i wget_1.21.3-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb
Note: If you encounter any errors or missing dependencies, run the following command to fix them:
sudo apt install
Step 4: Verification wget
Verify that wget is installed by running:
wget --version
You have successfully installed wget on Debian 12 from the .deb package. You can now use wget to download files from the internet with various options and features.
How to Use wget on Debian 12?
The wget command supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, and can also download files recursively, in the background, and with limited bandwidth.
To use Wget, specify the file URL or directory that users require to download. Users can also use various options to customize the download process. Here are some examples of how to use wget on Debian:
Example 1: Download Single File
To download a single file and save it in the current directory, use the “wget” command by mentioning the URL:
wget https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.21.4.tar.gz
Example 2: Download Single File (Different Name)
To download a single file and save it under a different name, use “wget” with the “O” flag by mentioning the URL:
wget -O new-file.zip https://sample-videos.com/zip/10mb.zip
Example 3: Download a Single File (Save in a Specific Directory)
To download a single file and save it in a specific directory, use the “wget” command with the “P” flag:
wget -P /home/debian/Downloads https://sample-videos.com/zip/10mb.zip
Example 4: Download Multiple Files
To download multiple files from a list of URLs in a text file, use the “wget” command with the “i” flag by mentioning the filename as below:
wget -i urls.txt
Example 5: Download Entire Website
To download an entire website recursively and mirror it locally, execute the “wget” command with the “m” option by mentioning the URL:
wget -m http://linuxgenie.net/
Example 6: Download Files and Log the Output
To download files in the background and log the output to a file, use the “wget” command by mentioning the URL:
wget -b -o log.txt https://sample-videos.com/zip/10mb.zip
Example 7: Limit the Download Speed
To limit the download speed, use the “limit-rate” utility and assign to the 100 KB/s as below:
wget --limit-rate=100k https://sample-videos.com/zip/10mb.zip
For more information and options, check the wget manual page by typing the “man wget” command or visit the following web pages.
Conclusion
Wget is a popular CLI tool for downloading as well as updating files from the web/internet. To install wget on Debian 12, update the packages list, and install wget using the “sudo apt install wget” command. In addition, confirm the wget installation via the “wget –version” command. Alternatively, use the “.deb Package” and “Source File” to download the latest version of wget. This article has explained different methods to install as well as use the wget utility on Debian 12.
